Types of Residential Roofs
Gable Roof, Hip Roof, Butterfly Roof
Residential Roofing
A roof is the external shell of your home; it provides protection against the rain and the sun and can make your home a more comfortable place to live. When it comes time to either retrofit a new roof or build a new one entirely for a new house, choosing the right type of roof for your needs can make all the difference in the world. One thing you have to remember is that a roof is about more than just a practical purpose – which is to protect the house, as well as the people under the roof from outside elements like snow, wind and rain. But, a roof also can offer additional features as well such as helping to bring in natural light or to add home energy efficiency to the house. Roofs also play a big part in the look of a house regarding style. Below, you will find a guide on residential roofs that a roofing contractor in Anaheim can offer to you, as well as benefits and cons for each roof. A residential roofing contractor in
Anaheim
A Roof Protecs You from The Elements
Gable Roof
A gable roof, also known as a pitched or a peaked roof, is one of the most common types of roofs in the
United States
, and they are most easily recognized by their almost triangular shape. Gabled roofs are pretty easy to set up, and they tend to be good for nearly any type of weather. But, you will need to set up extra braces if you live in really windy or snowy areas and after things like storms, the roof will need to be inspected to make sure that the roof is still in the best condition. You can either hire a roof inspector or hire a roofing contractor inAnaheim
to take a look at the roof for you. Some of the most popular types of gabled roofs include; side, crossed, front and Dutch.Pros Of A Gable Roof
The gable roof has one of the simplest designs, which means that you the homeowner should see a lower price tag for this roof than for other types of roofs. A gabled roof will also allow you to have more space in the house, which means that you can have things like an attic or vaulted / cathedral ceilings in your home.
Cons Of A Gable Roof
If you live in high wind or high storm areas like California, Arizona, or even Florida, you might notice some issues with gabled roofs. One of those issues is the simple fact that the roof is not built strong enough, with included braces, which can cause problems such as a roof collapse. Make sure that when you hire a roofer, that you hire someone that is aware of these issues!
Materials For Gabled Roofs
A gabled roof can be built using any materials, such as Terra Cotta, Metal, Cedar Shakes and even Asphalt Shingles. But, if the roof contains things like hips and valleys, you are much better off using a shingled roof with metal shingles to help keep roof leaks away.
Hip Roof
A hip roof is iconic because it has slopes on all four sides of the roof. Usually, the sides will all range in equal length, and then they will form a ridge at the top of the roof. These are a superb option for windy, extreme storm wind and snowy areas in the United States because things like rain and snow tend to slide off of the roof rather than sit up there for any amount of time. These, like the gable roof above, offer you the ability to have an attic or vaulted ceilings. Also, like gable roofs, you can use almost any material in the construction of a hip roof.
Pros Of A Hip Roof
While gable roofs are pretty stable, hip roofs out beat them regarding strength and durability.
Cons Of A Hip Roof
Because of the more intricate design, this roof will cost you quite a bit more money TO build, plus it also requires more materials to cover the entire roof which also adds to the expense of the roof overall. You will also need to add a roofing system to this roof. Types of hip roofs include; simple, cross and half-hipped.
Flat Roof
At first glance, these roofs seem completely flat. But, it’s sort of a trick of the eye. These are not 100% flat; in fact, they have a sort of slight pitch in the roof so that things like snow and water won't stand stagnant on the roof. In a lot of cases these are used in commercial roofing, however, in some instances, they can be used on houses, as long as it’s a low rainfall location. Make sure that when you call a residential roofer in Anaheim that they offer a smooth material for this type of roof. The seamless option will provide a more water resistant roof. Try options like roll roofing, PVC sheets, metal sheets and even gravel.
Pros Of A Flat Roof
One of the biggest pros to having a flat roof such as this one is the amount of living space it provides. That’s right; you can create a patio up on the roof, a garden or even a partially enclosed room. This type of a roof is also conducive when it comes to installing things like PV solar panels.
Cons Of Flat Roofs
Because of the almost flat design, it makes this roof more susceptible to things like water leakage and rot. Make sure that if you get this roof, you have little to no water from things like snow and rain.
Combination Roofs
These are cool roofs, not necessarily for functional reasons, but for aesthetic reasons. This roof called the combination roof usually has a few different types of designs on one single roof. For example, a combination roof might have a hip roof, along with a gable roof, over dormers and a skillion over something like the porch.
Pros of A Combination Roof
The biggest benefit of a Combination Roof is the mere amount of architectural features it offers.
Cons Of A Combination Roof
Because of the design of the roof, it’s considered an elaborate layout; therefore, it’s more expensive when it comes time for a residential roofer in Anaheim to build it for you. Also, adding different pitches and styles for the various roof types will require additional building materials and extra labor costs. Also adjoining multiple roofs will add things like valleys and ridges – these valleys and ridges CAN create issues with leakage. Make sure that when you hire a roofer, they have references and referrals on past projects like this so that you can make sure they know what they are doing and have the proper experience to build a roof like this!
Pyramid Roofs
A Pyramid Roof is actually a type of hip roof. This roof is exactly as you would picture it to be regarding a pyramid – it has four sides, and all four sides come to the point at the top of the roof. There are no vertical sides like that of a gabled roof. These tend to be used for smaller buildings or smaller homes, rather than larger houses, like bungalows and or cabins. These are also good options for other buildings like wood storage houses, storage rooms, and garages.
Pros Of A Pyramid Roof
One of the biggest benefits to a roof like this is the pure and simple fact at how incredibly resistant it is to things like high winds. This makes it perfect for high wind locations or places where you have a lot of hurricanes. But, this roof also provides extra space for an attic, high ceiling, and ventilation as well. Plus, it’s considered energy efficient because of the overhung eaves.
Cons Of Pyramid Roofs
One of the only cons of a Pyramid Roof is the cost. It’s important to remember one crucial thing toALL these roofs and that is if the design is simple or requires fewer materials – it’s going to be cheaper. On the other hand, if its more complex in the design (like this one) or uses more materials, its going to cost more and need more labor done to install and build the roof.
Butterfly Roof
If you’ve never seen a butterfly roof before, they are cool regarding design. Essentially it’s a V-shaped roof that has two tandem pieces which are angled Upwards on the outside. The middle is then angled downward, and those two pieces meet inside the valley. When you look at this roof, it has a real sense of a butterfly wings in flight. It’s very different and not one of the more current options in roofing, but it does have its benefits nonetheless.
Pros of A Butterfly Roof
A Butterfly Roof allows you to have bigger windows on the home which of course will provide more natural light to flow into the home. It also is a lot more efficient to a house, and it adds a sort of open feel to the design of the house, overall. You might think that the valley is going to be problematic, but actually, one of the reasons people USE this roof in the first place is so that they can collect the rainwater. This is done by using a downspout which is attached to a rain barrel and is a great option in those locations where drought is present as a water collection system. These roofs also work quite well for solar panels, like the flat roof, which means you can add even more energy efficiency to the home.
Cons Of A Butterfly Roof
This is a complex roof structure which of course means that it’s going to be more expensive to build. Not only are you going to see upfront costs, like with any other roof, but you will also be seeing a lot of costs going towards maintaining the roof as well.
Skillion Roofs
This is a very aesthetically pleasing roof, and you can find single skillion, double skillions, and triple skillions though there are many other different variations depending on what the homeowner wants regarding looks. These tend to go well with modern homes with modern exterior features because of the geometric shape it gives off of the angles. These roofs can also and are commonly used on porches and sheds too.
Pros Of A Skillion Roof
One of the best things about these roofs is that they are pretty easy to assemble and set up, but also that they use fewer materials when building them, this usually means less cost to you, but again, it depends on the amount of skillions you want. Also, each pitch in the roof provides a sort of run off for things like snow and water which makes them an excellent choice for high rain and high snow locations.
Cons Of Skillion Roofs
Often when you use these types of roofs it usually means that the ceilings inside the home are lower than you would want, but they do look cool esthetically speaking, so it depends on what is more important to you; high ceilings, vaulted ceilings, cathedral ceilings, or the look and feel of modern features?
Skillion Roof Materials
Skillion Roofs have a steep incline, you wouldn’t want to use something like rubber skins or roofing membranes; however, you can use something like a standing seam. Also, if you want a more energy efficient home and something that is Eco-friendly you also might want to start thinking about PV solar panels for the roof.
All of these roofing options are useful options; it just depends on three main things; what your budget is, what style you want and, of course, the location of the home. Once you figure these three factors out, you will then be more aware of the options available to you.